ON THE 8% TAX HIKE IN THE CITY

“Shaun!” you ask, “Where’s the irrational ranting over the 40% increase in reassessments and the $0.09 tax increase that City Council advertised?!” Well, I simply haven’t asked anyone why we are thinking of raising taxes while we have a $2.5mil surplus in Fredericksburg, that’s all.

The proposed tax increase gives City Council roughly an additional $1.2mil in tax dollars on top of the surplus, but since I haven’t had the opportunity to contact anyone yet, I’ll withhold judgment. Who knows? We could be gearing up for a war on Spotsylvania or something. . .

Either way, any tax hike in the City only hurts the two segments of society who can least afford it – fixed income residents and first time homeowners. Whatever investment in the City that Council is prepared to ask of the citizens had damn well better outweigh the costs and have immediate benefits to the taxpayer. More later, I promise.